Diseases of the eye, specifically age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy affect a large percentage of the population. In part, most of the diseases of the eye are treated by treating one or more symptoms, but failing to address the underlying cause(s) of the disease or condition. These therapies are therefore deficient in one or more aspects, necessitating improved approaches.
In a general sense, the pathogenesis of some of these eye diseases is similar if not the same as those seen for cardiac diseases and for abdominal aorta conditions. However, the anatomy of the vasculature behind the eye is typically smaller, includes more branches, and includes more sharp angles in the blood flow pathway. Further, the vascular system supplying blood to the eye is closer to the brain; any uncaptured or non-rerouted debris may cause an immediate stroke.
The use of catheter delivery systems for positioning and deploying therapeutic devices, such as balloons, stents and embolic devices, in the vasculature of the human body has become a standard procedure for treating endovascular diseases. It has been found that such devices are particularly useful as an alternative in treating areas where traditional operational procedures are impossible or pose a great risk to the patient. Some of the advantages of catheter delivery systems are that they provide methods for treating blood vessels by an approach that has been found to reduce the risk of trauma to the surrounding tissue, and they also allow for treatment of blood vessels that in the past would have been considered inoperable.